DeAndre Hopkins becomes NFL's highest-paid non-quarterback

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Image: DeAndre Hopkins was traded to Arizona in the offseason and is now set to sign a record-breaking contracts

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is now the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history, signing a two-year contract extension worth a reported $54.5 million.

Hopkins, who negotiated the deal himself, is said to receive $42.75 million guaranteed and an average of $27.25 million per season in 2023 and 2024.

Hopkins told reporters: "The Cardinals, I can't thank them enough for coming and getting me from my previous team and showing me that my work is deserving.

"I'm looking forward to playing some of my best football with this team and the goal is to be what everyone should be wanting, and that's to win a championship. That's the only thing on my mind."

Discussing Hopkins' new deal on Pro Football Talk, Chris Simms said: "Hopkins is physical; he plays the receiver position as physically as anyone in football. I would argue that he and Michael Thomas are the most physical receivers in the game - blocking, catching the ball over the middle, taking on contact.

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"You [Cardinals] make that trade happen, you're basing the team around Murray, he is the second biggest piece of that puzzle. Of course he should get paid."

Houston coach Bill O'Brien insists the trade that sent star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to Arizona was in the best interests of the franchise.

Prior to this deal, Hopkins had three years remaining on a five-year, $81 million extension signed in August 2017 with the Houston Texans. He was set to make $12.5 million, $13.5 million and $13.9 million over the next three seasons, per Spotrac.

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The Texans traded Hopkins and a 2020 fourth-round pick to Arizona in April in exchange for running back David Johnson, a 2020 second-round selection and a 2021 fourth-round pick.

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Hopkins, 28, is one of the most productive receivers in the NFL. The four-time Pro Bowl selection earned All-Pro honors for the third consecutive season and caught 104 passes for 1,165 yards and seven touchdowns in 15 games in 2019.

It was the third time he topped 100 catches and the fifth time he exceeded 1,000 yards in seven seasons since the Texans made him a first-round pick (27th overall) in 2013.

Hunt signs two-year extensions with Browns

Image: Ohio native Kareem Hunt has signed a two-year extension to stay in Cleveland

In other news, Cleveland Browns running back Kareem Hunt agreed to a two-year, $13.25 million extension that includes $8.5 million guaranteed.

Hunt had 43 carries for 179 yards and two touchdowns and 37 receptions for 285 yards and a score in eight contests in 2019. He missed the first eight games of last season after serving a suspension for violating the NFL's personal-conduct policy after a video surfaced of him kicking and shoving a woman at a Cleveland hotel.

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